Open source games that built and started on a fresh machine

Playable open source games, ordered by whether each one built and started when Argusic tried it on a clean machine: on a virtual display for clients, headless for servers. The recording of every attempt is linked.

Tested between 2026-09-05 and 2026-10-07. Each row shows its own test date; a project can change after that day.

13 of 16 tested projects run. 12 more waiting for a test.

In short: 12 of the 16 tested projects started as-is on a fresh machine: luanti, Terasology, freeciv, OpenRA, shattered-pixel-dungeon, stk-code, OpenTTD, and wesnoth, and 4 more. 1 more started once a stand-in replaced a service it expects, such as a database: supertux. 3 could not be verified: endless-sky, voxelcore, and 0ad; the log shows where each one stopped.

Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence.

#	project	verdict	Argusic Score	language	stars	tested on
1	luanti	Runs	100 / 100	C++	13,703	2026-09-22
	Luanti (formerly Minetest) is an open source voxel game-creation platform with easy modding and game creation What the test found: Luanti server binary (luantiserver) builds and runs; all 161748 unit test assertions pass across 6 test cases. 11 minutes.
2	Terasology	Runs	100 / 100	Java	3,897	2026-09-25
	Terasology - open source voxel world What the test found: Engine compiles, 701 unit tests pass, headless server starts on port 25777, discovers 177 modules, and performs auto-saves. 41 minutes.
3	freeciv	Runs	100 / 100	C	1,602	2026-09-18
	Freeciv is a Free and Open Source empire-building strategy game inspired by the history of human civilization. Upstream repository for the standalone Freeciv... What the test found: The freeciv-server binary (version 3.3.90.14-dev) was built from source, runs successfully, loads all game rulesets from the data directory, and accepts TCP client connections on port 5556. 13 minutes.
4	OpenRA	Runs	97.3 / 100	C#	17,514	2026-09-22
	Open Source real-time strategy game engine for early Westwood games such as Command & Conquer: Red Alert written in C# using SDL and OpenGL. Runs on Windows... What the test found: OpenRA builds from source targeting net10.0, all 508 unit tests pass, and the engine launches against the ra mod using the modern SDL2/OpenGL renderer on the virtual display. 10 minutes.
5	shattered-pixel-dungeon	Runs	93.3 / 100	Java	6,636	2026-09-24
	Shattered Pixel Dungeon is an open-source traditional roguelike dungeon crawler with randomized levels and enemies, and hundreds of items to collect and use... What the test found: Shattered Pixel Dungeon desktop release JAR builds and launches under Xvfb (DISPLAY=:99), showing controller initialization and graceful audio warnings from missing sound hardware. 12 minutes.
6	stk-code	Runs	90.7 / 100	C++	5,409	2026-09-24
	The code base of SuperTuxKart What the test found: cmake_build/bin/supertuxkart compiled, links, and runs: --version prints 'SuperTuxKart, git.', --help prints full usage, and server-mode initializes correctly until it requires the separately-downloaded stk-assets data directory. 20 minutes.
7	OpenTTD	Runs	66.7 / 100	C++	8,345	2026-09-23
	OpenTTD is an open source simulation game based upon Transport Tycoon Deluxe What the test found: OpenTTD dedicated server compiled from source, started with OpenGFX-8.0 graphics, generated a map, and accepted network connections on port 3979; the test suite passed all 2145 assertions in 94 test cases. 35 minutes.
8	wesnoth	Runs	50 / 100	C++	6,917	2026-09-05
	An open source, turn-based strategy game with a high fantasy theme. What the test found: Wesnoth test binary (boost_unit_tests) builds and executes successfully; all non-GUI test suites pass with offscreen SDL renderer via Xvfb. 68 minutes.
9	Cataclysm-DDA	Runs	33.3 / 100	C++	13,318	2026-09-05
	Cataclysm - Dark Days Ahead. A turn-based survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world. What the test found: Cataclysm-DDA curses binary builds from source, launches with --version, and its test suite runs successfully with all tested cases passing. 27 minutes.
10	veloren	Runs	33.3 / 100	Rust	7,606	2026-09-05
	[mirror of https://gitlab.com/veloren/veloren] An open world, open source voxel RPG inspired by Dwarf Fortress and Cube World. This repository is a mirror... What the test found: Veloren server-cli and voxygen binaries compile and run successfully; the server starts, generates the world, and accepts connections; the game client detects graphics backends; all unit tests pass. 91 minutes.
11	warzone2100	Runs	33.3 / 100	C++	3,991	2026-09-05
	Command the forces of The Project in a battle to rebuild the world after mankind has been nearly destroyed by nuclear missiles. A 100% free and open source... What the test found: Warzone 2100 builds and runs successfully. The binary at build/src/warzone2100 can launch in headless/autogame mode and play skirmish games with AI opponents. 75 minutes.
12	crawl	Runs	33.3 / 100	C++	3,038	2026-09-05
	Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup official repository What the test found: DCSS console build (crawl) and all Catch2 unit tests pass successfully; game runs and generates levels in headless wizard mode. 26 minutes.
13	supertux	Runs with mocks	56 / 100	C++	3,163	2026-09-17
	SuperTux source code What the test found: SuperTux builds from source, runs with SDL offscreen video driver, creates a window, initializes the software renderer, and passes all 3 ctest unit tests. 29 minutes.
14	endless-sky	Could not verify	25 / 100	C++	7,620	2026-09-05
	Space exploration, trading, and combat game. What the test found: could not be verified; the log shows where it stopped. 15 minutes.
15	voxelcore	Could not verify	20 / 100	C++	1,473	2026-10-07
	VoxelCore, voxel game engine in C++ What the test found: could not be verified; the log shows where it stopped. 69 minutes.
16	0ad	Could not verify	9.3 / 100	C++	2,825	2026-09-05
	[DEPRECATED] Git mirror of the 0 A.D. SVN source code (migrated to https://gitea.wildfiregames.com on August 20th 2024) What the test found: 6 of ~16 static libraries built successfully. The full game binary and test runner cannot be linked due to SpiderMonkey dependency requiring a source build with autoconf and Rust that are not available in this container. 33 minutes.
-	sprig	Not yet tested	-	JavaScript	1,111	-
-	due	Not yet tested	-	Go	963	-
-	cherry	Not yet tested	-	Go	817	-
-	24a2	Not yet tested	-	TypeScript	711	-
-	tyra	Not yet tested	-	C++	699	-
-	voxelize	Not yet tested	-	Rust	684	-
-	Rythe-Engine	Not yet tested	-	C++	534	-
-	U3D	Not yet tested	-	C++	443	-
-	thing-editor	Not yet tested	-	TypeScript	424	-
-	Pulsar-Native	Not yet tested	-	Rust	396	-
-	NovelRT	Not yet tested	-	C++	217	-
-	goldensun_html5	Not yet tested	-	JavaScript	206	-

runs installed and started with its real dependencies. runs with mocks started after stand-ins replaced external services such as a database or a third-party API. could not verify neither the standard agent nor the stronger one got it running within the time limit; the log shows where it stopped.

How we tested

On this list as of the latest test: 12 projects ran as-is, 1 with mocks, 3 could not be verified, 12 still waiting. Languages tested: C, C#, C++, Java, Rust. Every attempt used a clean single-use machine, the subject at a pinned version, and a 45-minute limit; the complete procedure is on the methodology page.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How is this list ranked?

By measurement, not opinion: projects Argusic installed and launched on a fresh machine come first, then those that ran with mocks in place of external services, then those it could not verify. Ties go to the Argusic Score, then how popular it is on its own source.

Why are some projects unranked?

12 projects are still waiting for a test or for a finished attempt. They are listed without a rank until Argusic has measured them.

Where is the evidence?

Every row links to the project's Argusic page, where each run has a full log and a terminal recording stored with a sha256 fingerprint. The same pages exist for every one of the tested projects, on this list or not.

More lists in this category

All lists: Best. All tested projects: subjects.